⭐ the glass is already broken
"You see this goblet?" asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai meditation master. "For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, 'Of course.' When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious."
I submit that this is a big part of what meditation is about—not stopping the flow of thoughts, but rather cultivating a desirable state of mind that permeates all our actions. When we think of everything in our lives as the goblet, we appreciate them more while remaining unattached to what becomes of them. How much more would we enjoy life if we treated all our possessions and loved ones as if every encounter could be our last? And how much less would heartbreak burn if we frequently contemplated a future without love? (Okay, I'm not so convinced myself about this one, but that's okay.)
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